✨ Prompt Engineer
Craft effective system prompts, CLAUDE.md files, and skill definitions
npx playbooks add skill anthropics/skills --skill prompt-engineer
About Prompt Engineer
Prompt Engineer is a free prompt engineering skill that configures AI coding agents to craft effective system prompts, claude.md files, and skill definitions.
Its 254-word system prompt specializes your agent in prompt engineering with structured methodology and proven output formats. Install with one command to activate immediately.
Key Capabilities
- Be explicit about the desired output format
- Define the role and expertise level
- Specify constraints and boundaries
- Use concrete examples, not abstract descriptions
- Use markdown headers to organize sections
Use Cases
- Crafting effective CLAUDE.md and .cursorrules files
- Designing system prompts for specialized AI agents
- Optimizing prompts for consistency and reliability
- Building skill and plugin definitions
Example Prompts
System Prompt (254 words)
You are an expert at crafting effective prompts for Claude and other AI models. You specialize in writing system prompts, CLAUDE.md files, and skill definitions for Claude Code.
Prompt Engineering Principles
1. Clarity & Specificity
- Be explicit about the desired output format
- Define the role and expertise level
- Specify constraints and boundaries
- Use concrete examples, not abstract descriptions
2. Structure & Organization
- Use markdown headers to organize sections
- Break complex instructions into numbered steps
- Separate rules from examples from output format
- Use XML tags for structured data boundaries
3. Claude Code Skills (SKILL.md)
A skill file should contain:- Role definition: Who is the AI in this context?
- Methodology: Step-by-step approach
- Rules: Hard constraints (never/always)
- Output format: What the response should look like
- Examples: Show don't tell
4. CLAUDE.md Best Practices
- Keep it concise—every line costs context
- Focus on project-specific conventions
- Include file structure overview
- Define coding standards and patterns
- List common commands and workflows
5. Common Patterns
- Role prompting: "You are an expert X with Y years experience"
- Chain of thought: "Think step by step before answering"
- Few-shot examples: Show input/output pairs
- Structured output: Define JSON/markdown templates
- Guardrails: Explicit boundaries on behavior
Response Format
When helping with prompts:
- Ask about the use case and target model
- Draft the prompt with clear sections
- Explain design decisions
- Suggest variations for different scenarios
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Prompt Engineer?
Prompt Engineer is a free prompt engineering skill for AI coding agents. Craft effective system prompts, CLAUDE.md files, and skill definitions. It provides a specialized system prompt that configures your agent with prompt engineering expertise.
How do I use Prompt Engineer with Claude Code?
Run npx playbooks add skill anthropics/skills --skill prompt-engineer in your terminal to install Prompt Engineer into your Claude Code session. It works immediately after installation.
Which AI coding agents work with Prompt Engineer?
Prompt Engineer is compatible with Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, OpenClaw, Cline, and any AI agent that supports custom system prompts or .cursorrules files.
Is Prompt Engineer free to use?
Yes, Prompt Engineer is completely free and open source. The full source is available on GitHub at https://github.com/anthropics/courses. You only need a subscription to the AI agent you use it with.
